Suwon, the representative city of South Korea’s most populous province, has been making a name for itself on the global stage as the country’s most environmentally friendly city in light of escalating concerns over the world’s critical environment challenges.

Behind the drive is Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young, who is often dubbed the “green mayor” for his dedication to making it the greenest city and leading player in the global campaign against environment threats. 

Some of the key platforms pushed by Yeom are to successfully achieve a robust plan to address climate change and foster an outreach program to help residents appreciate the significance of preserving the environment.

“Currently, the biggest environmental issue is climate change. And many cities around the world are trying to address it. Suwon is spearheading the nation’s effort to foster international cooperation to address climate change,” said Yeom.

The city’s green efforts are already paying off. Suwon on Oct. 1 won an award as the country’s most environmentally friendly city by the Korea branch of the World Wildlife Fund, an organization for wildlife conservation and endangered species.

The award was based on data registered with the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives’ carbonn Climate Registry (cCR), a platform to assess local and subnational governments’ efforts toward climate actions. Suwon was the first Korean city to sign up to cCR in 2011.

The city has racked up positive points in the scope and transparency of its efforts and strategies to cut greenhouse gas emission.

Based on its comprehensive plan to address climate change, Suwon announced it would build a strategic road map to achieve its carbon emission reduction goal by 2020 and share its efforts with other cities around the world.

As part of these efforts, Suwon last month joined the Compact of Mayors, the world’s largest coalition of city leaders, to address climate change. The city also participates in the Carbon Disclosure Project, an organization that aims to disclose the greenhouse gas emission levels of major corporations, in its endeavor to solidify its footing as Korea’s “environment capital.”

To enhance its cooperation with other cities on climate change, Yeom has been meeting with mayors of other cities who lead global green initiatives. In April, Yeom invited Dieter Salomon, the mayor of Freiburg in Germany, to share environmental policies. Freiburg is often touted as “the greenest city in the world.”

Salomon’s visit came after a bilateral agreement to expand cooperation on environmental issues at the 2013 Global Town Hall meeting. Since then, Suwon has sent its environment officials to the German city to benchmark its environment policies.

The city’s move to enhance international cooperation moves beyond Germany. Since 2011, Yeom has launched an extensive reforestation program in Mongolia and planted more than 60,000 trees in deserted areas.

Being recognized for his efforts to improve Mongolia’s natural environment, Yeom was awarded last May by the Mongolian government, a rare and prestigious commendation granted to foreign dignitaries.

The mayor’s green initiative is not limited to overseas cooperation. Yeom has rolled out unique environmental policies ranging from the establishment of a green town to public awareness programs on environment issues.

Suwon has decided to build its own green town, a neighborhood that minimizes the use of energy, and to preserve a habitat for frogs. An ecological forest will be created with great accessibility to the city’s residents -- six minutes’ walking distance for every resident in Suwon.

The mayor also accelerated its outreach efforts to offer tailored green programs to raise public awareness of environmental protection. By 2018, the city aims to allow all the residents to take environment classes, a policy modeled after Freiburg.

The city has also been known for its operation of eco-friendly educational facilities. It has designated Namchang Elementary School as a school dedicated to treating students who suffer from atopic disease with due facilities and a treatment system tailored for them. Currently, 130 students attend the school, with 26 receiving treatment for the disease caused by unhygienic environment.

Yeom’s relentless efforts to publicize the city’s green initiatives culminated with the city winning the bid for the FIFA 2017 U-2O World Cup Korea in 2017. Suwon and other five cities in Korea will host the event.

After Mexico City, Suwon became the second city to host four major FIFA events – FIFA World Cup, FIFA Confederation Cup, FIFA U-2O World Cup and FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Leveraging extensive experience in hosting international sporting events, Suwon has garnered positive reviews from the FIFA officials dispatched to assess the city’s readiness to host the game. The officials had reportedly given especially high scores to its accommodation and soccer stadium.

Buoyed by the public’s all-out support and the city’s unique cultural heritage, the city aims to be selected as a major hosting cities for the event such as by being able to host an opening ceremony or the playoff. Suwon boasts United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage Sites such as Hwaseong Fortress.

“Without extensive public support from residents in Suwon city and Gyeonggi Province, we wouldn’t have been selected as the host city of the FIFA U-20 World Cup. We will show the world that Suwon is the epitome of Korea’s culture and sport,” said Yeom.

By Yeo Jun-suk and Park Joung-kyu (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)